Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos given $3 million grant

The Dana Adobe Nipomo Amigos has been awarded a $2.98 million grant that will be used to construct a nature education facility and visitors center near the historic Dana Adobe.

The facility will be built on the 29-acre parcel owned by the nonprofit DANA organization in Nipomo. It will include interactive exhibits featuring the cultural and natural resources of the Nipomo Creek watershed, a Chumash village, a native habitat restoration area and interpretive trails, according to executive director Marina Washburn.

The facility will provide public access to view Nipomo’s foothills, the Nipomo Creek, and to access a 100-acre parcel leased by DANA from the county as part of the interpretive trail system. It will be built over seven years.

“DANA is looking forward to extending rancho hospitality to all visitors and to tell the many stories of the many peoples who once occupied this land,” Washburn said in a news release. “We believe this project will increase public understanding and knowledge of California’s resources — starting with our own backyard.”

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The state Department of Parks and Recreation’s Office of Grants and Local Services awarded 44 grants totaling $93 million; DANA was the only organization in the county to receive funding. The money comes from Proposition 84, passed by California voters in 2006.

The organization will hold informational workshops at the Nipomo Library, 918 W. Tefft St., on May 3, May 17, June 7 and June 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. for residents and business owners to learn more about DANA and provide feedback about the overall development of the Rancho Nipomo Dana Adobe Historic Park.